Motor distributing valve with a load feel area



May 25, 1954 1'. VAN METER MOTOR DISTRIBUTING VALVE WITH A LOAD FEEL AREA Filed June 28, 1952 R m 2. m M f v V N w f E R O D. O E w N 0m 9 mo. g is 02 9%?! mm 00K}: E -61 I I 0 NF 0: 8

l1l .l 2. w m9 $1 on 9 o m Fm ow m mo. m9 @9 o: I 3 8 I I 3 2 mm mm 2 2 ATTORNEY Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Moron ms'ramu'rnm VALVE wrrn LOAD FEEL AREA Theodore Van Meter, Oak Park, Micln, assignor to Vickers Incorporated, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application June 28,1952, Serial No. 296,118

Claims. (01. 121-465) "use in'motor vehicles have endeavored to'retain as nearly as possible the same handling characteristics as in the conventional manual system. This requires a follow-up type of system having feel. By follow-up it is meant that the controlled member follows whatever movement is impartedto the controlling member, and feel means that the manual efiort applied by the driver to the controlling member determines the force applied to the controlled member.

The type of control valve which has found the widest use in such systems has been the type having a neutral central position and being shiftable therefrom in opposite directions to effect opposite movement of a fluid motor connected to the vehicle dirigible wheels. Such valves are usually provided with spring-centering means to restore the valve to neutral position on removal of the shifting force. when feel is to be provided, one method is to add to the restoring force of the centering springs a hydraulically produced force also tending to restore, or center, the valve which is of a magnitude proportional to the force applied to the dirigible wheels. It is important in such valves that the centering means act to restore the valve to precisely the eflective neutral position of the valve. Otherwise, improper steering will result. If the centered posi tion of the valve is not made adjustable, machin-. ing tolerances must be very closely controlled, thus making the valve expensive to manufacture.

Provisions made in the past for such adjustments have. however, been complex and diflicult to manipulate requiring a number of operations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved low cost control valve particularly well suited for use in a power steering system.

It is 'a further object to provide a spring- I centered control valve, the center position of which is adJustable by a single simple adjust- 'ment, the making of which adjustment does not 2 having both spring and hydraulic centering devices conjointly adjustable.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanving drawingwherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing: I

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a control valve embodying a preferred form of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Figure .1.

Figure 3 is a schematic drawing illustrating the present invention utilized in a typical vehicle steering application.

Referring flrstto Figure 3 there is showna pump Ill connected to a tank I! by an inlet conduit I4 and to a control valvel6, embodying the present invention, by a delivery conduit I8. Control valve II is connected to the tank II by a return conduit is. A pair of motor conduits 20.

and 22 connect the control valve to opposing ends of a double-acting fluid motor 24 secured to the motor vehicle frame at 2'. Motor 24 is connected to the tie rod 34 to exert hydraulically produced steering force on the vehicle dirigible wheel 28. Pitman arm 32 acts on valve [8 to apply mechanical steering force to the wheel 28 through the valve i8, drag link 34, bell crank 38, and tie rod 30, and to control the application of hydraulically produced steering force as hereinafter described.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2 the construction of the control valve It is there illustrated. The valv comprises a body 38 having an end cap 40 and a sleeve 42 secured thereto by bolts 44 and nuts 46. Sleeve 42 is threaded at 43 to provide for connection of drag link 34. An 0 ring seal 48 insures a fluid tight juncture of the end cap 44 and the body 38. Body 38 has a stepped valve bore iii therein which is provided with a slidable valve spool 52 having three cannelures 54, 56 and 58 thereon, thus forming a pair of lands to and 62. Body 38 is provided with a central pressure port 64 and a pair of motor ports 88 and 68. End cap'40 has a return port 10 therein.

In the central position of spool 52, as illustrated, an open-center condition exists, that is,

pressure port 64 is in fluid communication with.

the return port 10 across lands 60 and 62, which have suitably tapered edges for that purpose, through radial passages 12 and 14, the central axial passage 18, and radial passages 18. It is also apparent that motor ports 86 and 68V both are connected to return port Ill when valve 52 is in the center position as shown. Movement of valve 52 will produce a pressure increase in one of the motor ports 86 or 88, in 'a manner well producing hydraulic v Pitman arm :2 is provided with a ball studwhich is clamped between a pair of ball seats 32 carried by a sleeve 24. Sleeve 24 is axially slidable in sleeve 42, which is secured to the body 20 as aforesaid, to an extent determined by its endwise abutment with the body face 00 or the shoulder 02. Relative axial motion between spool 02 and sleeve 24 is prevented by a c washer 00 which engages a groove 02 in the spool 02, and is clamped between a spacer 24 and the inwardly flanged end 02 of sleeve 24.

Valve spool 02 is spring-centered in bore 00 by a nested pair of springs 20 and I00 which, though of different diameters, preferably have the same rate and assembled load so that resistance to movement by spool 02 is the same in either direction. Spool 02 has a pair of spaced apart abutments I02 and I04 thereon which are provided by, for example, a 0 washer I02 and a nut I05. A sleeve I00, carrying two snap rings I01 and I09 which provide a pair of abutments I03 and I I0, is axially shiftable in end cap 40 by a threaded extension 2 provided with a locking nut II4. An 0 ring seal II2 prevents leakage from the cap 40. An axially floatable collar II3 encircles valve spool 02 between abutments I02 and I04, and is biased against abutment IIO by spring 90 acting against abutment I00. Spring I00 acts between collar 0 and abutment I02 to bias abutment I04 against the collar IIO. Springs 98 and I00 thus bias spool 52 to a position fixed relative to sleeve I00 which sleeve, as aforesaid, is axially adjustable relative to the end cap 40 and hence body 20. The spring centered position of spool 52 is thus adjustable by a single operation which does not affect the centering forces. It can be seen that the assembled load of the spring IIO must be overcome to shift spool 52 to the left relative to the body 20, and that of spring 02 must be overcome to shift the spool to the right. Springs 30 and I00 thus form a resilient coupling between relatively movable members which may be termed input and output members. The input member comprises valve spool 02 and those parts positively translatable therewith, including abutments I02 and I04, 0 washer 30, and the sleeve 24. The output member comprises body 20 and those parts positively translatable therewith, including end cap 40, sleeve I00, abutments I02 and H0, and sleeve 42. Stepped valve bore 00 includes an enlarged portion I20 having a reaction piston I22 in axial sliding fluid sealing engagement therewith. Reaction piston I22 encircles a reduced portion I24 of valve spool 02 in slidable fluid sealing engagement therewith and has a spherical portion I26 cooperating with a spherical seat in a washer I28. Washer I22 normally abuts against the shoulder I20 formed by snap ring I01. The spherical contact between washer I20 and piston I 22 is to prevent any possible lack of perpendicularity between the shoulder I20 and the axis of bore 00 from causing binding of piston I22. For practical purposes, however, washer I20 may be regarded as a part of piston I22. c washer I02 on the valve spool 02 is encircled by the central aperture in snap ring I01, thus permitting the shoulder I 2| also to abut washer I28. There is thus provided a reaction pressure chamber I32 which is connected to the pressure port 64 by a passag I24. It is apparent that the pressure in port 04, and consequently that in chamber I32, varies directly with the amount of hydraulically 4 produced steering force being applied to the dirigible wheel 20.

Pressure in chamber I22 tends to position spool 52 relative to shoulder I20 and hence sleeve ills. That is, pressure in chamber I22 acts on the annular area I20 of piston I22 to bias the piston and washer I20 into engagement with shoulder I20 while at the same time acting on annular area I20 on spool 02 to bias the shoulder I3I on the spool against washer I23.

Since the pressure in chamber I32 varies directly with the hydraulically produced steerin force, pressure in chamber I22 acts to create a force proportional to the hydraulically produced steering force to aid springs 30 and I00 in resisting movement of spool 52 thereby providing control with feel. For example, if spool 52 is shifted to the left,.spring I00 must be overcome, and pressure existing in chamber I32, which is proportional to the hydraulically produced steering force, will act on the annular pressure efiective area I20 producing a force on the spool 52 aiding spring I00. If spool 52 is shifted to the ht, spring 90 must be overcome and pressure in chamber I22 will act on the large annular area I28 of the piston I22, as well as the area I35, producing a net force on spool 52 aiding spring 08.

The areas I20 and I26 may be in a ratio of 2:1, in which case any given pressure in chamber I32 will exert equal centering force on spool 52 in either direction. However, to provide proper feel" in both directions. the ratio of the difference between areas I20 and I36 to area I33 should equal the ratio of the effective area of motor 24 exposed to pressure in port 23 to the efiective area of motor 24 exposed to presssure in port 25. Thus any given pressure in chamber I32 will exert a centering force on spool 52 dependent on the steering force that pressure is producing at the motor 24.

As heretofore discussed, shoulder I30 determines th position to which hydraulic pressure in chamber I22 urges spool 52, and abutment H0 determines the position to which the springs 00 and I00 urge the spool. Since shoulder I30 and abutment I I0 are conjointly shiftable with sleeve I05, a single adjustment of sleeve I06 results in adjustment of both the hydraulic and the spring centered positions of spool 52. In order to insure that the spring and hydraulic centered posi tions of spool 52 are the same, the spacing between abutment I04 and shoulder I3I must be the same as that between abutment I I0 and shoulder I20. For this purpose, spacing between abutment I04 and I3I can be established by nut I05.

In operation, the vehicle operator may apply a steering movement to the pitman arm 32 and ball stud through a. conventional steering wheel and gear. The resistance encountered by the dirigible wheels 23 determines th action of valve I6. If that resistance is slight valve It may act as merely a mechanical link in the steering mechanism. For example, if wheel 28 turns easily the resilient coupling between the input and output members provided by springs 00 and I00 may transmit the entire driving force and permit no relative motion between those two members. If, however, wheel 28 encounters any considerable resistance to movement, either spring or I00 will be overcome and the input member will move relative to the output member, thus causing pressure increase in one of the motor ports 06 or 03, as heretofore described, to produce a hydraulic steering force at motor 20. This pressure increase is utilized in chamber I32 to produce a reaction force tending to recenter the valve thus providing feel as previously described.

In case of a power failure in the hydraulic system, safety of the vehicle and its passengers is insured by the provision for direct mechanical steering resulting'from the abutment of sleeve 84 against the shoulder It or 88 which limits relative movement between the input and output members.

The relative movement required between the valve spool l2 and the body to produce a hydraulic steering force is very slight. It consequently becomes important that the valve spool 52 be biased to a center position relative to the motor ports 66 and I, which is quite critically located. If, after assembly and installation, the valve It is not properly centered, a rapid accurate one operation adjustment is possible by merely shifting the adjustable sleeve I" in the end cap 40.

It will thus be seen that the present invention has provided a low cost, spring centered control valve providing follow-up action and having hydraulic centering means to provide feel, the spring and hydraulic centered positions being zonlointly adjustable by a single simple adjustment.

While the form of embodiment of the invention :is herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a control valve having a relatively movable body and spool, a device for resiliently centering said body and spool comprising: a first pair of adjustably spaced apart abutmentson said 7 spool; an axially fioatable collar between said abutments; a second pair of spaced apart abutments coniointly axially adjustable relative to said body; first resilient means exerted between one of said second pair 01' abutments and said collar to bias said collar against the other of said second pair of abutments; and second resilient first pair of abutments to bias the other of said first abutments against said collar.

2. In a control valve having a relatively movable body and spool, a device for resiliently centering said body and spool comprising: a first pair or adiustably spaced apart abutments on said spool; an axially fioatable collar between able body and spool, a device for resiliently centering said body and spool comprising: a first pair of spaced apart abutments on said spool; an

axially fioatable collar between said abutments; a second pair of spaccd apart abutments conjointly axially adjustable relative to said body;

first resilient means exerted between one of said second pair of abutments and said collar to bias said collar against the other of said second pair of abutments; and second resilient means exerted between said collar and one of said first means exerted between said collar and one'or said 6 pair of abutments to bias the other of said first abutments against said collar; a first shoulder on the spool; a pressure effective area on the spool; an axially fioatable piston slidable into engagement with said shoulder, encircling said spool between said shoulder and said pressure efi'ective area; a pressure chamber between said piston and said pressure efl'ective area; a second shoulder, shiftable conjointly with said second pair of abutments, against which said piston is biased by pressure in said chamber; and means for supplying pressure fluid to said pressure chamber.

4. In a control valve having a relatively movable body and spool, a device for resiliently centering said body and spool comprising: a first 1 pair of spaced apart abutments on said spool; an

axiallyfioatable collar between said abutments; a second pair of spaced apart abutments conjointly axially adjustable relative to said body; first resilient means exerted between one 01' said second pair of abutments and said collar to bias said collar against theother of said second pair of abutments; and second resilient means exerted between said collar and one of said first pair of abutments to bias the other of said first abutments against said collar; a first shoulder on the spool; a pressure eflective area on the spool; an axially fioatable piston, slidable into engagement with said shoulder, encircling said spool between said shoulder and said pressure eflfective area; a pressure chamber between said piston. and said pressure effective area; a second shoulder shiftable conjointly with said second pair of abutments against which said piston is biased by pressure in said chamber, said second shoulder lying in the same radial plane as said first shoulder, at the resiliently centered posi tion of said valve; and means for supplying pressure fluid to said pressure chamber.

5. In a control valve having a relatively movable body and spool, a device for resiliently centering said body and spool comprising: a first pair of spaced apart abutments on said spool; an axially fioatable collar between said abutments; a second pair of spaced apart abutments conjointly axially adjustable relative to said body; first resilient means exerted between one of said second pair of abutments and said collar to bias said collar against the other of said second pair of abutments and second resilient means exerted between said collar and one of said first pair of abutments to bias the other of said first abutments against said collar; a first shoulder on the spool; a pressure effective areaon the spool; an axially fioatable piston slidable into engagement with said shoulder, encircling said spool between said shoulder and said pressure efiective area; a pressure chamber between said piston and said pressure effective area; a second shoulder, shiftable conJointly with said second pair of abutments, against which said piston is biased by pressure in said chamber; means for supplyingpressure fiuid to said pressure chamber; and means' for shifting said other of said first abutments spool.

References Cited in the also: this UNITED s'rs'ms ramm's Number Name Date 2.881.130 Simpson Oct. 24, 1944 2,383,278 Stevens Aug. 21, 1945 15 2,596,242

Hill May 18, 1952 axially ,r'elative to said 

